Hans Powell, of Utah, said coming on a mission to Dunedin was a leap of faith and a chance for him to answer some questions he was having about the religion.
He was one of four missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Dunedin preaching the Book of Mormon.
About a year before he left on his mission, Mr Powell’s mother was diagnosed with cancer. Although he knew she did not have long to live, it was her wish that he go on the mission.
"I knew that it would be very likely that I would never see her again."
She died about a year into his trip and, after consulting his mission leaders, he did not go back for her funeral.
"There are times where I think about my mom a lot and I feel really sad sometimes," he said.
As a missionary, he had to forgo dating, alcohol, watching movies and even swimming. But for him and his peer Dawson Kalayjian it was worth it so they could dedicate every day of their lives to serving God.
So far in their mission, they had been threatened by a man wielding a broomstick, had dogs set on them and had been on the receiving end of a fair few swear words.
Mr Kalayjian said while a lot of the abuse could be laughed off, some people shooed them away in a very dehumanising way, and that hurt the most.
"You could just be like ‘I’m not interested, have a good day’, that would would be fine."
The mission provided an opportunity for them, but a lot had to be sacrificed.
Being from California, Mr Kalayjian was a keen surfer, but missionaries were not allowed to swim for health and safety reasons.
He said they also had limited access to computers, were not allowed to watch movies and could listen to only Christian music.
